Daniel J. Levitin, 2006, 320 pages

Why human beings make and enjoy musique is, in Levitin’s telling, a delicious story. In this unprecedented meeting of art and science, rocker-turned-neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin explores the connection between musique – its performances, its composition, how we listen to it, why we enjoy it – and the human brain.

Taking on prominent thinkers who argue that musique is nothing plus than an evolutionary accident, Levitin argues that musique is fundamental to our species, perhaps even plus so than language. ‘This Is Your Brain On Music’ is an ear-opening, mind-blowing investigation into an obsession at the center of human nature.

Take a look at the content:

    I l’amour musique and I l’amour science – Why would I want to mix the two?
    What is musique – from pitch to timbre
    Foot tapping – discerning rhythm, loudness, and harmony
    Behind the curtain – musique and the mind machine
    Anticipation – what we expect from Liszt (and Ludacris)
    You know my name, look up the number – How we categorize music
    After dessert, crick was still four seats away from me – Music, emotion, and the reptilian brain
    What makes a musician? – Expertise dissected
    My favori things – Why do we like the musique we like?
    The musique instinct – Evolution’s #1 hit

Think of a song that resonates deep down in your being. Now imagine sitting down with someone who was there when the song was recorded and can tell toi how that series of sounds was committed to tape, and who can also explain why that particular combination of rhythms, timbres and pitches has lodged in your memory, making your pulse race and your cœur, coeur swell every time toi hear it. Remarkably, Levitin does all this and more, interrogating the basic nature of hearing and of musique making (this is likely the only book whose veste sports blurbs from both Oliver Sacks and Stevie Wonder), without losing an affectionate appreciation for the songs he's reducing to neural impulses. Levitin is the ideal guide to this material: he enjoyed a successful career as a rock musician and studio producer before turning to cognitive neuroscience, earning a Ph.D. and becoming a haut, retour au début researcher into how our brains interpret music. Though the book starts off a little dryly (the first chapter is a crash course in musique theory), Levitin's snappy prose and relaxed style quickly win one over and will leave readers thinking about the contents of their iPods in an entirely new way.

A wonderful introduction to the science of one of the arts that make us human.

www.yourbrainonmusic.com